Women and girls have distinct needs that are often overlooked in policy and planning in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. As result, specific vulnerabilities experienced by women are not always addressed.

On 29 April, STRIVE’s chief executive Lori Heise joined a diverse mix of speakers from WASH, gender and health sectors at an event coordinated by the SHARE Research Consortium. The event aimed to debate issues such as violence against women, menstrual hygiene management and maternal health.

The presentations, available here, addressed cross-cutting issues that are often overlooked when health, sanitation and gender are tackled in separate sectors or ‘silos’. As illlustrated by STRIVE letter to the Lancet, SHARE and STRIVE argue that such issues require integrated approaches rather than narrow, sector-specific interventions.